Author: News-Press NOW

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — New legislation headed for the governor’s desk would provide free tuition in Missouri for a wide-range of public safety personnel if approved, a new tool designed to address staffing shortages and boost recruitment.

Senate Bill 71, sponsored by Sen. David Gregory, R-St. Louis, would provide college tuition awards for public safety personnel such as police officers, firefighters, paramedics, telecommunicators, first responders, emergency medical technicians or advanced emergency medical technicians.

Public safety personnel with at least six years of service shall be entitled to an award worth up to 100% of the resident tuition charges, including fees, for an institution of higher education located in Missouri. 

The legal dependent of public safety personnel with at least ten years of service is also eligible for a tuition award if he or she executes an agreement with the institution of higher education outlining the terms and conditions of the tuition award, including the legal dependent’s commitment to reside in Missouri for the next five years.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett called the measure a new and “innovative” tool that would not only benefit public safety personnel and the departments they work for, but the communities they serve by offering new ways to recruit and retain valuable officers in Missouri.

“This is a good hand in glove kind of concept because the more we train, the more we educate our staff, the better they serve the community,” he said. “It’s a win-win. It keeps our folks here in the state of Missouri and it allows our universities that have really quality programs to continue to prosper.”

Puett said the measure would focus on degree programs designed specifically for public safety and public safety-oriented fields. Individuals who have already earned a baccalaureate degree are ineligible to use the tuition award to earn another degree.

The measure passed both the Missouri House and Senate this legislative session and now awaits approval from Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. The governor has identified fighting crime and enhancing public safety as a top priority.

“Kudos to the governor, Department of Public Safety and the legislature because the governor came in with a law enforcement priority and he is holding true to those values,” Puett said. “This is one of the planks in that effort to recruit and retain good law enforcement officers for our state.”

Puett said if the measure is ultimately approved, the department would look to utilize it immediately, helping them save local tax dollars that are currently used for tuition assistance.

According to a fiscal analysis, the measure would lead to a decrease of roughly $3.4 million in general revenue funding.

Four St. Joseph Police officers talk at the scene of a shooting at 16th and Grand streets in 2024 in St. Joseph. Cameron Montemayor | News-Press NOW

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph and the animal shelter announced an adoption special set for Saturday, June 7.

According to the social media post, the free adoption event will run from 10 a.m. to noon at Petco in St. Joseph, located at 5201 N. Belt Highway, Suite 105.

Those who can’t make it to the store for the on-site adoptions can visit the St. Joseph Animal Shelter, located at 701 Lower Lake Road, from 1 to 5:30 p.m.

All adoptions are first come, first serve.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The YMCA pool project, over a year in the making, now has tentative dates the community can look forward to.

After receiving the green light from the city to move forward with the project, YMCA CEO Tammy Killin looks ahead.

“Right now we’re working on contracts and then behind the scenes the (final) renderings are still being developed,” Killin said. “We’re hoping to have that done by June, July…probably July.”

The unofficial renderings include a 10-lane, 50-meter lap pool as well as a recreational/therapeutic pool. The projected 35,000-square-foot facility includes spectator seats, locker rooms, offices and on-site food and concessions.

The 50-meter lap pool will have a floating bulkhead to allow it to have ‘two pools’ in one.

Killin said they are working with E L Crawford Construction, Inc., Ellison-Auxier Architects and an out of town aquatic design group.

“We’re trying to utilize local and throughout this whole build, we will be doing local,” Killin said.

With renderings expected to be finalized by July, Killin has an optimistic goal to break ground in September. If this goal is met, the 18-month project will wrap up in the spring of 2027.

The YMCA will remain open during construction. When the facility is finished, the plan is to have it open during the same hours as the YMCA.

YMCA members will have access to the pool using their membership and day passes will be $8. St. Joseph residents will receive a $2 discount and children under 3-years-old will get in for free.

“We have financial aid here at the YMCA, which we are going to extend this into the public facility so that’s no problem for us,” Killin said. “If there is a financial burden for any families, the paperwork’s pretty simple, they can still utilize the service for a reduced cost or for free.”

In the contract with the City of St. Joseph, one of the requests from the city was for a council member to join the YMCA board. That person is unknown at this time.

“All of us coming together, we’re investing at a fraction of what it would cost us to build on our own,” Killin said. “It is saving money for each individual entity that’s involved as opposed to them doing it separately and that’s what this partnership is all about.”

Fundraising will continue as the YMCA looks to add a gymnasium in phase II of the project. This addition would serve as a crash area for swim meets.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — More than three years after the tragic death of a Mid-Buchanan volleyball coach, her family continues to honor her legacy through an annual volleyball tournament and scholarship fund. 

Savannah Domann and her unborn child were killed by a drunk driver in a car crash in January 2022. In the wake of the tragedy, her family has worked to channel their grief into a meaningful cause, using her love of volleyball and passion for helping others to give back to the community. 

“I’ve always said I didn’t want her to be just another statistic or just another person taken by a driver under the influence,” Savannah’s sister Morgan Domann said. “Instead, we’re turning that tragedy into something positive by giving back to high school students and volleyball players to keep a smile on her face.”

Volleyball was a family tradition for the Domann’s that Savannah especially cherished. 

“It’s something we’ve all done together our whole lives,” Morgan said. “Savannah and I coached a club volleyball team together. After she was killed, her boyfriend and I took over the team and finished the season in her honor.”

Now in its fourth year, the Savannah Domann Memorial Volleyball Tournament raises money to support scholarships for local high school seniors who plan to play volleyball in college. 

“Every dollar raised goes directly to the volleyball scholarship fund,†Morgan said. “Each year, we award at least one scholarship to a Benton High School player since Savannah graduated from Benton, as did our whole family.”

In its first year, the tournament raised $1,000, which funded two $500 scholarships. Organizers hope to see continued community support as the event grows, not just to help student-athletes, but to preserve Savannah’s legacy. 

“Even though the wounds never fully heal, I think about what she’d want us to do and that’s to keep going and make something good out of this,” Morgan said. “This is all for a good cause. You don’t have to be an experienced volleyball player to join in.”

The tournament welcomes players of all levels, with brackets for intermediate and advanced competition. 

“My 10-year-old is playing this year and he probably can’t even serve over the net, which is okay,” Morgan added.

Funding will come from T-shirt sales, raffles and a silent auction held during the event.

The tournament will be held on Saturday, June 14, at Revolutions Lanes & Fun Center, located at 6938 King Hill Ave. Check-in for the event begins at 8:30 a.m. and games start at 9 a.m.

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents may have noticed procedure changes when licensing their pets as the city recently moved to a new online program.

Animal Services aims to increase efficiency, when it comes to returning lost dogs and cats to their homes, through the DocuPet licensing system. The city soft-launched the new program back in March of this year.

Residents can sign up by visiting stjosephmo.docupet.com. When registering a pet initially, owners should check for an already existing profile before creating a new one. Most pet owners with existing pet licenses have already been added to the system.

Proof of vaccination and a spay/neuter certificate are needed to register — the documents can be photographed or scanned to be uploaded. Residents will also select a preferred tag design and be able to pay all in one place.

For those unable to sign up online, staff at the Animal Services shelter are available to help. Residents can call (816) 271-4877 or visit the shelter at 701 Lower Lake Road. DocuPet is also available for assistance by calling 1-877-239-6072.

All dogs and cats in the city are required to be licensed. The fee for animals that are spayed or neutered is $10 and $25 for those that aren’t.

St. Joseph’s Animal Services has also started a progressive field services program using a $30,000 grant from Petco Love.

The field program allows staff to scan loose animals for microchips and take those that have one or are wearing licenses directly back to their owners.

Animal Service officers carry microchips and free vouchers for microchips to offer to pet owners they come across while working. There is a future plan in place to make microchip scanners available at additional public locations for those who find a loose animal.

Animal Services has partnered with St. Joseph Area Lost and Found Pets on Facebook to feature animals that have been picked up to help return them home as soon as possible.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released the results of its 2025 school bus inspections. Most the school districts received high ratings.

The patrol listed individual school districts by number of buses inspected, the percentage of those buses that were approved, the percentage that were defective, and those that were out of service.

St. Joseph School District, with the largest fleet of buses in northwest Missouri, had 83 buses inspected and 95.2 percent (79 buses) were approved by MHP inspectors. Four buses were found to have defects.

Savannah R-III district had 33 vehicles inspected and 90.9 percent were approved with 9.1 percent found defective.

Mid-Buchanan School District was the only district in our area to receive a perfect score. Inspectors looked at 14 buses and approved all 14.

Ratings for other districts included:

North Platte, 14 inspected, 78.6 percent approved.

East Buchanan, 11 inspected, 72.7 approved.

Buchanan Co. R-IV (Dekalb), five buses inspected, 80 percent approved.

Stewartsville, five buses inspected, 80 percent approved.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department is still investigating the cause of a structure fire that engulfed one mobile home at a trailer park near South 36th Street and Pickett Road Friday morning.

No injuries were reported in the fire according to Battalion Chief Mike Wacker. The fire occurred at a mobile home next to the St. Joseph Housing Authority and reportedly was occupied at the time.

Wacker told News-Press NOW a trailer was ‘fully involved,’ meaning the fire was not contained to a small area. A News-Press NOW reporter noticed what appeared to be fire damage to at least three surrounding structures several hours after the fire was extinguished.

The area was closed for more than an hour after 4 a.m. Friday due to the fire, which took firefighters several hours to extinguish.

Firefighters were called back out to the scene around 10:30 a.m. Friday to extinguish another small fire that reignited.

Wacker said a small fire had reportedly broken out at the same mobile home just the day before.

News-Press NOW will provide updates as they become available.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — One local Downtown bar has announced “one last toast” as it prepares to close its doors.

The Rendezvous, located at 817 Francis St., will have its “Last Hurrah” starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.

The bar relocated to its new spot in 2024 from its original location at 619 Felix St.

Known for attracting live bands and karaoke nights, the Rendezvous will have “The December” play on its closing night, as well as a final karaoke session.

The bar will have rotating drink specials throughout the night and no cover charges.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — News-Press NOW Anchor and Multimedia Journalist, Kirsten Stokes, will be competing in the Miss Kansas competition on Saturday, June 7.

The competition will take place at 7 p.m. at Pratt Community College.

If Stokes wins the competition, she will advance to the Miss America competition in September.

Stokes’ advocacy work during this mission consists of working with foster care organizations in Kansas and Missouri.

She used her community service initiative, “Generation Movement” to spread advocacy through storytelling.

Stokes is competing as contestant #8, with vocalism as her talent.

News-Press NOW is proud of her accomplishments as Miss Sunflower and hopes to see her on the Miss America stage in September.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — After a fire broke out and almost 10 months of renovations, one local business is holding its grand re-opening on Thursday.

In August of 2024, East Hills Cleaners’ main location had to temporarily move their business to a shop four doors down to be able to assist customers due to a fire.

It continued to provide laundry, dry-cleaning and alteration services during renovations.

The business also received assistance from the community and Pride Cleaners, a business in Kansas City.

The Chamber of Commerce will help East Hills Cleaners celebrate the grand re-opening ceremony at its main location at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, at 3603 Faraon St.

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